W3

Who is Creigh Deeds Speaking To? And, what is he saying?

Creigh Deeds’ new ad begins “Does Bob McDonnell really stand with us?” With his misogynist and regressive views, as detailed in his Liberty University thesis or McDonnell’s half-baked and truthiness-laden concepts to raid educational funds to pour concrete in an insufficient answers to Virginia’s transportation challenges to, well, many of McDonnell’s views and “proposals”, it is hard to imagine that Bob McDonnell’s core values are those of the majority of the Commonwealth’s citizens.

In this ad, however, Creigh Deeds seems to speak to McDonnell’s core reality-challenged base, using talking points that seemingly come from the Republican Party of Virginia rather than the Democratic candidate for Governor.

We need a Governor who understands us. Creigh Deeds says no to any new energy taxes from Washington. And Deeds has a detailed jobs plan for families around here.

There is a very simple question to ask: What does the Deeds’ campaign mean with those italicized words?
Does Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) buy into the falsehoods about how dealing with climate change will hurt, rather than boost, our economic and security prospects?

Does Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) simply believe that those who understand the power and importance of a clean energy future will flock to the polls and donate heavily to the campaign no matter what he says on energy and environmental issues?

Does Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) simply fail to understand that placing a cost to polluting that is harming us (and our children) and worsening our prospects for tomorrow is no tax, but simply making those creating costs help pay for the damage they cause?

Does Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) care about courageous Democratic Party politicians in Virginia, like Tom Perriello, who have stood up against fierce (and false) Republican attacks to vote for action to address climate change?

Does Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) really think that using language that seems written for Sarah “Energy Expert” Palin will gain him support from McDonnell’s anti-progress base?

Does Deeds (and/or his campaing staff) fundamentally believe (wrongly) that “no energy taxes” is somehow core to a better future for Virginia and Virginians?

NOTE: Considering all, such as transportation plans, Creigh Deeds is not nearly in the same range of horrid on energy and environmental issues as Bob McDonnell. Not nearly as bad, however, doesn’t make good.

Sadly, evidently Creigh Deeds (and/or his campaign staff) believe that pandering to those who suffer from anti-science syndrome and deny global warming is a winning strategy. There seems, in these words, a belief that, somehow, the path to power is to follow-on the disastrous Gilmore legacy of “no car taxes” rather than standing up for leadership. Evidently (and possibly correctly), Deeds (and / or his campaign staff) believe (quite possibly correctly) that they say things undermining national Democratic Party policy objectives with impunity in terms of national support.

UPDATE: 4 Nov 09: For a ‘clean energy works’ message that might have enabled a Deeds’ victory (or at least attracted enough Democratic voters to help keep great people like Margie Vanderhye in the House of Delegates, see: Deeds for the Common Wealth. (By the way, the concepts there are appropriate for basically every state in the Union and for the entire nation.)